Spool holder and unwinder for sewing-machines



Il. llvlffff (No Model.)

T. R. NICHOLS. s EooL HOLDER AND UNWINDEE EOE SEWING MACHINES. No. 280,504.

Patented July 3 N. Patina rhammnhgmpmr. wnmngum n. L:A

uUNITED STATES PATENT EErcE.

THOMAS R. NICHOLS, OF LYNN, MASSACHUSETTS. -j

SPOOL HOLDER AND-UNWINDER FOR SEWING-MACHINES.

. SQECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent. No. 260,504, dated July 3, 1883.

I Application filed March 26, 1883. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THoMAs RAND NICHOLS, of Lynn, in the county of Essex, of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Devices for Unwinding ThreadV from a Spool; and I do hereby declare the same to be described in the following specification and represented in the accompanying drawings, of which- Figure 1 is a front elevation, and Fig. 2 a vertical and longitudinal section, of a spool and my invention applied thereto. Fig. 3 is a top view, and Fig. 4 a side view, of the unwinder to be described.

My said invention may be considered as an improvement with reference to the spool-supporting and thread-,unwinding mechanism described and shown in the United States Patent No. 263,306, dated August 29, 1882, the nature of such invention being defined or attempted to be defined in the claims hereinafter presented.

The thread-unwinder represented in the accompanying drawings at A is there shown as composed of wire bent spirally to form a tubular bearing, b, to encompass and turn on a metallic tubular journal or pin, B, inserted in the spool C at the central part of its upper end, the said journal having a flange, a, extended from it, as shown. From the lower spiral coil the wire projects radially, so as to form an arm, c, and at its other end such arm is coiled in the form of an eye, d.

The spindle for supporting the spool is shown at D. As constructed, it is tubular, and has iixed toit on one side of it a tubular socket-piece, E, which extends both above and below the lower end and wholly aside of the bore of the said spindle, the axes of the spindle and socket-piece being not in one straight line, but parallel to and apart from each other, as represented. The said socket-piece is provided with a set-screw, e, to clamp it to the ordinary spool-holder of a sewing-machine. The object of arranging the socketpiece wholly aside of instead of underneath the spindle and its bore is to avoid the necessity Vof an inclined opening or passage to lead obliquely out of the spindle, in manner as shown inthe said Patent No. 263,306, it being with such passage much more difficult to get the thread through the spindle than when the socketpiece is arranged with the spindle, as in my improved manner. The spindle is tapering where it is to enter and it the spool, and it has on it eoncentrically ametallic disk, F, and on that a felt or cloth disk, G. The spindle also has on it a spiral spring, H, such, disks and spring being arranged, as represented, be low the spool C. Each ofthe two disks has a diameter greater than that of the next adjacent or lower head of the spool, and projects beyond such in manner as represented. The

spring serves to press the disks upward in order to keep the cloth or lfelt one in close contact with the spool-head.

The thread to be wound from the spool passes from the load on the spool through the eye d of the unwinder A, thence down through the tubular journal on which the unwinder is supported, and thence straight downward through the bore g of the spool, andinto and through that of the spindle. On pulling the thread downward, the unwinder will be caused to travel around upon the journal and the thread to be guided and unwound from the spool, and to be drawn through its eye, and thence down through the journal and the spindle. beyond the spool, will intercept any coils of the thread which may be loose and be liable to get The cloth disk, when extending laterally underneath the lower head of the spool and wind or be caught on the spindle. The cloth disk also serves to intercept any loose fibers or filaments that may fall from the spool-load.

With my improved thread-unwinding attachment, as explained, the spool remains stationary, and does notrevolve on the spindle while the thread may be in the act of being unwound from the spool. There is little chance for the thread to become knotted or to drop and be caught and wind about the spindle.

I do not claim a thread-unwinder made as shown in the said Patent No. 263,306-viz., of wire, and to' turn on the spindle and in the upper head of the bobbin, for my improved unwinder does not extend into the spool, but is supported by and revolves'on a tubular jour- .nal inserted in such spool and projecting upward from it; and, besides, such thread-unroo Winder does not go down alongside ofthe spooll heads and underneath the lower one and to and around the spindle.

I claim-- l. The combination of the spool C, tubular journal B7 tubular spindle D, andthe separate threadvunwinder A, the saidthread-univinder, while in use, revolring on the tubular journal7 -and the thread, while being nnwound from the spool, going directly down through the said journal and spindle, and all being arranged and adapted substantially in manner to operate as set forth.

The tubular spindle provided with the tubular socket-piece arranged aside oi' and projecting below it7 substantially as shown and described.

3. The combination of the cloth or felt disk and its sustaining-disk with the tubular journal-spindle, spool, and the ihread-nnwinder, arranged and adapted to Operate substantially as represented.

4c. The combination of the cloth or felt disk and its sustaini11g-disk7 and their spring7 with the tubular journalspindle, spool and threadunwinder7 arranged and adapted to operate substantially as set forth.

THOR/IAS RAND NICHOLS.

XVitneSses:

lil. H. EDDY, E. B. PRATT. 

